MURDER ON THE AMTRAK EXPRESS
by SupernaturallyEgocentric
Summary: Yes, it's another drabble series! One post per day. 100 words per day. No real spoilers. Suffice it to say it involves the sexiest hunters on the planet, Charlie (nope, not letting her go!), Bobby (not him either), what appears to be a haunted train and a host of other slightly cracky characters. Come on along for the ride. There are PLENTY of tickets! NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Walking down the aisle between the seats, Charlie gave a happy wiggle. She _loved_ traveling on trains! She not only avoided being frisked by over-zealous airport security but also the horrors of using a Greyhound bus porta-potty!

She didn't know why the Winchesters had put out a call for help on this particular Amtrak sleeper, but she was glad to answer their call!

She opened the door between cars and stepped into the dining car, scanning the tables until she spotted her two favorite boys at a table. With an impish grin, she plopped down beside them.

"What's up, bitches?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Charlie, the story is that thirty-three people have vanished over the last forty years, all from this one train line," Sam said.

"Any victim pattern?"

"Young men, all between 25 and 35." Dean said gleefully.

Charlie's eyes widened. "Holy crap! You guys are _totally_ rocking the victim pool!"

"Yeah, we figure it'll come after one of us," Dean's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "That's why we need _you_ to watch our backs."

"Cool! Is Cas coming, too?"

Dean's face turned grim.

Sam shook his head frantically at Charlie and she hastily grabbed a menu."Alrighty, then! Let's order. Oh, look! Prairie oysters!"


	3. Chapter 3

"So what's first?" Charlie polished off the last of her veggie burger.

"Research," the boys answered together.

"You better let me do some of the fun stuff!" Her glare was ferocious. "I didn't come all this way to sit on my butt while you guys fight the big bad!"

"Don't worry, kiddo. Fun stuff galore, I promise. In fact –" Dean grinned conspiratorially at his brother. "Sam and I got a surprise for you."

"A surprise?"

Sam looked at his watch. "She should be here any minute."

"She? _Who_ she? _What_ she?!"

Hearing a flurry of excited voices, Charlie turned.

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Any guesses?


	4. Chapter 4

Stunned, Charlie froze.

"We didn't even know she was here before we called you," Dean said, enjoying the pole-axed expression on Charlie's face. "It's kinda like fate -"

"If we believed in fate," Sam cut in.

"Which we don't," Dean added hastily.

Charlie had no words. All she could do was stare at the approaching goddess - lustrous blond hair tumbling over sculpted shoulders, lush red lips, wide green eyes. And Holy Jeebus, those legs, that _body_.

Mesmerized, Charlie stood up.

The goddess stopped in her tracks.

"Oh my god, _Charlie_ , is that you?"

"Hey, Scarlett _,_ " Charlie said weakly.

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Got it? Remember the episode? Come on now, tell me I'm not the only one.


	5. Chapter 5

Mouths agape, Sam and Dean stared as Charlie was enveloped in a full-on movie star hug.

What the hell?

How did _Charlie_ know Johansson?

Was the Black Widow a Moondor fan? Had Charlie met her at an Avengers con?

Wait - had they somehow been flipped over to an alternate dimension? Maybe _that_ was the reason for the disappearances!

With an abashed glance at the boys, Charlie pulled away from Scarlett and introduced them.

Scarlett smiled and then nudged Charlie teasingly, "Haven't changed teams, have you?"

Charlie blushed. "I'm not a big fan of peen," she mumbled.

Scarlett laughed uproariously.


	6. Chapter 6

When the actress left the dining car to go to her stateroom, no one said anything for a long minute.

Then Charlie rolled her eyes. "Chill, guys. I met her during Avengers Karaoke at Comic Con!"

"So, you two, um," Sam began delicately.

"No!" Charlie snapped. "She's _married_ and I am _not_ a poacher!"

"Good." Dean heaved a sigh of relief. "That would've been awkward."

"Hey, even if we _were_ , you know, which we _aren't_ , I wouldn't mess around on the job!" Charlie said, indignant.

"No," Dean said hastily. "I mean in case we end up having to kill her."


	7. Chapter 7

Charlie's mouth dropped open, then her eyes narrowed and she smacked Dean upside the head. "Are you _nuts_?!"

Dean yelped and jerked back. "Hey, I'm not saying we _will_ , just that we _might_ – "

"Don't." Charlie looked at Sam. "What's going on?"

"This case has been worked over the years by a lot of hunters," Sam said quickly. "Including our dad. No one could ever make a connection between the disappearances." He looked proudly at his brother. "Three weeks ago Dean figured it out."

"What's that got to do with Scarlett?" Charlie demanded.

"Charlie, we think she's going to be possessed."


	8. Chapter 8

He was perfect. Tall, dark and handsome – so like Michael it almost hurt to look at him.

Humming with pleasure, she studied her prey, gaze caressing the high cheekbones, the sweet mouth, the gentle eyes.

Oh yes, this one would do _very_ nicely.

Unfortunate that he was a hunter, of course, he would be harder to control. But really, wouldn't that make her revenge all the sweeter?

Anger spiked through her when a young woman sat at the table with her intended, then cooled as she saw the nature of their relationship.

She drifted closer. What was his name?

Ah.

Sam.


	9. Chapter 9

Charlie's eyes were big. " _Possession_? You mean, like a –" She looked around furtively and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Like a _demon_?"

At the "d" word, Dean glanced around the car. "Let's take this to our stateroom. Try not to freak out the civilians."

"How about not freaking _me_ out?" Charlie muttered.

They all stood to leave, then Sam stopped and looked around the car. He could see nothing out of the ordinary, but he'd been a hunter too long to mistake the feel of eyes crawling over him.

Dean nudged him. "What is it?"

"Someone's watching us."


	10. Chapter 10

"What the other hunters didn't see, what our dad didn't see, was that it wasn't just about the disappearances, it was about the women," Sam said.

"Women?" Charlie asked.

"After each disappearance, within two days, a woman who'd travelled on that same train died," Sam said grimly.

Charlie paled.

"All from natural causes, _but,_ no matter how they died," Sam went on, "none of them had pre-existing health conditions and each one – "

"They were all drop-dead gorgeous," Dean broke in. "Can you think of anyone on the train that fits the bill better than your friend?"

"Scarlett," Charlie whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

"It's not a demon, or a shape shifter." Sam was positive. "It's a ghost."

"But _how_?" Charlie protested. "The train can't be haunted, although that would be _way_ cool! This was happening long before this train was built."

"Maybe it's something on the train." Dean mused. "Or a ghost tied to one of the older stations hitching a ride on one of the passengers."

Charlie nodded. "Like that ghost at your old high school."

Dean sighed. Chuck and his damned books. "Yeah, like that."

"If we could find out where it all started – " Charlie pulled out her laptop. "Wi-fi?"


	12. Chapter 12

"I went back as far as I could," Dean said. "But every one of these disappearances happened in the first week of June and tomorrow - "

Charlie looked up. "June 1st."

Dean ruffled her hair affectionately. "That's why we called you, Super Girl. Sam and I kick research ass, but no one's better than you on deadline."

Pleased, Charlie blushed. "True." She bent over her laptop again. "But I'm gonna need caffeine and pop tarts."

"I'll go." Sam volunteered. "I want to take a look around."

Dean nodded. "Okay. You just watch your ass. And don't forget the pie!"

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Thanks, Emebalia. You're right. Hope this takes care of that question.


	13. Chapter 13

Sam kept a wary eye on the rest of the dining car while he waited for his order. There'd been no sign of the Big Bad from earlier today, but he was taking no chances. He'd been the target of many an evil bastard; hell, he'd even been possessed by a few. For some reason the feel of this particular spook had _really_ creeped him out.

He heard the car door open and looked over, half expecting to see Dean looking for his freaking pie.

Not Dean.

Sam's heart dropped to his shoes as the newcomer approached his table.

Castiel.


	14. Chapter 14

"You found her _already_?"

"Don't sweat it. I wouldn't have found her so quickly if you guys hadn't done the prep work." Charlie pointed to the laptop. "Look. June 1978. 'Jilted Bride Jumps to Death from Moving Train.' It looks like her fiancée decided to elope with the maid of honor – oh, ouch, for maid of honor, read _sister_!"

Dean grimaced. "Couple of douchebags."

"No kidding." Charlie read on, sighed. "She was cremated. No bones."

"Does it say where she went off the train?"

"Yeah - oh, hey, look -" She stopped, looked up, frowned. "Hey, hasn't Sam been gone kind of a long time?"


	15. Chapter 15

Charlie stuck close behind Dean as he wove his way down the corridor. "I'm sure Sam's okay! The dining car probably just got busy. Maybe there was a run on pie!"

Dean snorted. "I never should've let him out of the freakin' stateroom! Any time there's a asshat around, it's gonna zero in on Sam!"

Charlie rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

Growling under his breath, he flung open the door to the dining car, stumbling to a halt when he saw his brother sitting at a table.

"Hey, it's Cas!" Charlie peered over Dean's shoulder. "Who's the other guy?"

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Sorry I missed posting yesterday. Had to take care of some RL yesterday afternoon and was so wiped I was in bed by 8pm. Yes, apparently I am an old, old lady. Anyway, the only reason Skeevy 2 got posted is because I wrote that in the morning, just posted it in the evening. You know, guys, Skeevy 2 was a one-off drabble, but I noticed that a lot of people are thinking it's another drabble series. Tell you what. After MAE is done, I'll see what I can do about Skeevy. Work for you?


	16. Chapter 16

" _Bobby_?"

Bobby stood. "Dean."

Stunned, Dean looked at Cas, then Sam. He took a step toward Bobby, then hesitated.

Grinning, Bobby opened his arms. "Get over here, ya idjit."

That was it. Dean surged forward with a whoop and enveloped the older man in an enthusiastic hug.

Charlie edged past the pair and sat down beside Cas and Sam. "Bobby? Bobby _Singer_?"

Sam nodded, eyes shining.

"The one who broke my arm? You told me - Dick Roman _shot_ him! I thought he was _dead_!"

"He was," Cas said grimly.

"Oh." Charlie rallied quickly. "Well, after all, who _hasn't_ been!"


	17. Chapter 17

Charlie let the reunion go on for a few minutes – she hadn't seen Dean this happy in, well, _ever_ \- but she was keenly, uncomfortably, aware of the time flying by.

"Dean?"

He turned to her and she tapped the nonexistent watch on her wrist.

Dean understood, nodded. "We got some ghost ass to kick," he said to Bobby. "You up to it, old man?"

"Just because I was dead don't mean I forgot how to do my job," Bobby snarked.

Dean clapped him on the back, then turned to Castiel. "Thank you."

The angel stared back at him, expressionless.


	18. Chapter 18

When Cas didn't answer Dean, Sam scooped up Charlie and Bobby and herded them back to the stateroom.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Charlie swung on Sam. "What's going on?"

Sam just looked uncomfortable.

"Come on, Sam," Charlie said coaxingly. "I'm _totally_ missing the broment! The least you can do is give it to me second-hand."

"When Bobby helped break Metatron out of prison, the angels were a little upset with him," Sam finally said, reluctantly. "We were worried they'd - Dean was pretty pissed. And scared. He told Cas to find Bobby or not come back."


	19. Chapter 19

When the others had left the dining car, Dean said again, "I'm sorry, Cas."

Castiel simply stared back at Dean. He was in no way inclined to make this easy for him.

"You're my friend," Dean said simply. "I should've trusted that you'd find Bobby." He took a deep breath. "I shouldn't have told you not to come back without him. It was a dick move."

"Yes, it was," Cas said, hurt in his eyes. "I thought you and I were friends."

"We are!" Dean protested.

"You might try acting like it." With a flutter of wings, Cas was gone.


	20. Chapter 20

Dean slid into the stateroom. Nothing was said about the fact that Cas wasn't with him.

Without pause, he said to Charlie, "So you said you know where our ghost threw herself off the train?"

Charlie nodded. "It was just a couple of miles before the station where I boarded."

"That'll be where they brought her body," Bobby said.

"Which is why she's connected there," Sam said.

"Probably can't just burn it down, huh?" Dean's tone was wistful.

Bobby shook his head. "That might be a little flashy, even for us."

"Then what the hell are we going to do?"


	21. Chapter 21

"Bobby, you get off the train at the next stop. Go back to where our suicide jumped." Dean said. "See what you can dig up."

Bobby nodded, left the stateroom.

"Charlie, you keep an eye on Scarlett." Dean fished an amulet out of his pocket. "See if you can get her to wear this. It'll keep the ghost off of her." He stared at her for a moment, then pulled out another one. "You wear this one."

Charlie pulled it over her neck. "What about you and Sam?

Dean looked at his brother.

Sam smiled faintly. "I'm bait."


	22. Chapter 22

"Why do you think she'll come after Sam?" Charlie asked.

"I told you, the asshats _always_ go after Sam. It's like he's got this huge freaking target on his back. He's always getting knocked out or strangled."

Sam nodded resignedly.

"But we can't just _dangle_ him like bait!" Charlie objected. "Besides, how are we going to catch her? Or exorcise her? She was _cremated_!"

"There's always a way." Dean eyed her. "Don't you have an amulet to deliver?"

Grumbling worriedly under her breath, Charlie left the stateroom, Johansson-bound.

Dean turned to Sam, a hard glint in his eyes.

"Remember Philadelphia?"

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LeeMarie Jack - Thanks. Couldn't resist. :)

Anyone get the Philadelphia reference?


	23. Chapter 23

Charlie took a deep breath and knocked on the stateroom door.

Scarlett opened the door. "Charlie!"

Charlie was relieved to see that her friend hadn't gone to bed yet. A laptop sat open on a small table, paused on a gaming site. "Thought you might like some company." She dangled a bottle of champagne in the air.

Scarlett smiled and pulled Charlie into the room. "You're a lifesaver! Want to play some 9Dragons?"

Charlie snorted. "Not only will I play, I will kick your _ass_!"

"Big talk, Red." Scarlett got out a couple of glasses and filled them. "Bring it!"


	24. Chapter 24

"Cas, you're pissed at me and I don't blame you, but we could use some help," Dean said hopefully.

No rush of wings. No angel appeared.

"He's not gonna show," Sam said. "He's pretty mad."

"Yeah, I fucked up, big surprise." Dean sighed. "Shit, how are we going to get more salt? We don't have anywhere near enough."

"Yeah, well, when I packed I didn't know about your crazy-ass plan," Sam retorted.

Dean glared at him and Sam relented. "Okay. I'll go check with the porter. Maybe if I float a few bills in his direction, he'll help us out."

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Emebalia, you are good.


	25. Chapter 25

OK, sorry I've been absent for several days. I'm getting ready to move and as you can imagine, shit is pretty crazy around here. Now, fyi, I decided to switch things around. This is the new chapter 25. The old chapter 25 is now chapter 26 and then we've got chapter 27 coming up in just a minute. Thanks for hanging in!

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"Ha!" Scarlett crowed. "Got you!"

Charlie groaned theatrically, game controller falling from her hands.

Scarlett smiled. "So much for kicking my ass."

Charlie felt a sudden chill in the air. She frowned and looked around, seeing nothing and then - "Oh, _crap_!"

"What?"

"I forgot, I have something for you." Charlie dug the amulet out of her pocket.

"Oh, pretty!" Scarlett said. "What is it?"

"It'll protect you against ghosts," Charlie said matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Okay." Shrugging, Scarlett put it around her neck.

Charlie grabbed up her controller. "But it won't do a thing to save you from that ass kicking!"


	26. Chapter 26

The thwarted bride circled above the two women, wove around and between them, trying to find a path through the charms protecting them.

Finally, unable to force her way through the magic to the soft flesh, she left the compartment and boiled down the corridor, an inchoate mass of seething rage and hate.

The bride bypassed several potential vessels, unable to see them as anything but second-best. Her mind was focused entirely on the dark-haired man she desired, the man so like her beloved betrayer.

A low, keening moan escaped her.

There was another way.

She _would_ have this man.


	27. Chapter 27

Waiting for Sam to get back with the salt, Dean stared despondently out the window at the darkened countryside.

He'd fucked up. Treated Cas like a disposable angel and hurt his friend's feelings.

 _Again_.

Damn it, he hadn't meant it when he'd told Cas not to come back without Bobby. He'd just been worried about the old man.

Cas should've _known_! He'd had enough experience with Dean's mouth running out of control. Hell, it practically came with a freaking warning label!

Angry at his stupidity, Dean turned from the window.

He had to find a way to make things right.


	28. Chapter 28

Bobby glanced around the train station with a jaundiced eye.

This was a waste of time.

Thirty years since that fool woman threw herself off the back of that train. The odds of anything from that long ago surviving - he sighed, started a circuit of the room.

What the hell. He'd seen weirder.

There weren't too many people around. A few snoozing passengers. A sleepy-looking ticket agent. An elderly security guard leafing through a magazine.

In the exact center of the room Bobby came across a small stone monument with a silver plaque. He walked over, read it.

" _Crap_."


	29. Chapter 29

On his way back to their stateroom, salt tucked securely under his arm, Sam thought grimly about Dean's plan and hoped to Hell that Bobby would come up with something useful at the station.

Trapping the ghost in their stateroom and performing an exorcism _could_ be done, but – man, it was gonna be a _bitch_.

One of the stateroom doors opened as he passed by. An old woman smiled up at him, blue eyes flirtatious beneath her cap of grey curls. "Young man?"

Sam stopped. "Yes?"

"Could you help me?" She fluttered her eyelashes coyly. "I can't reach my suitcase."


	30. Chapter 30

"You find anything, Bobby?"

"There was a fire here in '92. It gutted the place. They tore the old station down and rebuilt. Nothing of the old one left."

"Figures." Dean rubbed his aching temples.

"So what's the plan?"

"Exorcism," Dean said. "Charlie's babysitting the movie star and Sam's scouting for salt."

"How you gonna catch her? Think she'll just stand still for you?"

"I'll catch her!" Dean retorted. "She'll be dust by the time you catch up, old man."

"I sure hope so," Bobby snarked. "I just got back from being dead, you know. I could use some rest."


	31. Chapter 31

Bobby hung up and Dean's cell rang again immediately.

"Sam? Where -"

"Dean." There was a weird grunting noise, then a thump.

"Sam?"

Sam came back on the line. "Sorry," he said breathlessly.

"What's going on?"

"Come to the next car –" Sam broke away again and Dean heard someone curse in the background. It _wasn't_ Sam.

"Sam, are you okay?" Checking to be sure he had his gun, Dean hurried to the door. "Which car? What compartment?"

"Room 413." Sam dropped the phone.

After a moment, Dean heard his brother shout, "The car to the left of ours!"


	32. Chapter 32

Dean didn't knock.

Hand on his gun, he burst through the door of compartment 413 and stopped dead in his tracks, mouth falling open in surprise at the picture before him.

Sam sat on the floor, arms and legs wrapped tightly around an old woman who looked like a cross between an acid-washed Betty White and a SYFY channel zombie.

Wig askew on her balding head, crazed eyes rolling in their sockets, she was working hard to escape Sam's grip. Judging by the strained expression on his face, she wasn't too far away from her goal.

"Dean!" Sam gasped. " _Salt_!"


	33. Chapter 33

Charlie yawned. Eleven straight games of 9Dragons. It had been a stretch, even for her.

Scarlett was sleeping now. She'd be okay on her own, with the charm still around her neck.

With her friend safe, it was time for Charlie to find out what was going on with the boys. She hadn't heard from Sam or Dean in hours. They'd better not have finished off the suicidal bride without her. They'd _promised_ Charlie could help take her down!

A muffled shout came from behind a compartment door she was passing and she paused, frowning. Had that been Latin?

 _Dean?_


	34. Chapter 34

Dean glared at Charlie, standing frozen in the open doorway.

"Charlie, shut the damned door! We don't need the whole freakin' world in here." He gestured pointedly to the snarling old woman sitting on the carpet, surrounded by a circle of salt.

Wide-eyed, Charlie stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Where's – _Sam_!"

Sam was sitting on the bed, sporting two magnificent black eyes. Raw, bloody scratches scored both sides of his face. He smiled at her slightly. "I'm okay, Charlie."

"He's _fine_!" Dean snapped impatiently. "I'm fine, she's fine, we're all _fine_!" Scowling, he went on with the exorcism.


	35. Chapter 35

Charlie watched as Dean gently washed the scratches on Sam's face.

"She really messed you up, Sammy," Dean muttered. "You're getting feeble in your old age."

"I was trying not to hurt her."

"How'd that work out for you?"

Sam shrugged, gave him a half-grin. "She's still alive."

"Why'd she do that, anyway?" Charlie ventured. "If she hadn't jumped him, it would've been a lot harder to get rid of her."

"Ghosts don't think." Dean smeared some ointment on Sam's cheeks. "Sometimes they're all about vengeance."

"Like Bobby, before." Charlie pondered that. "So, is she in Heaven or Hell now?"


	36. Chapter 36

"Why would she be in Hell?"

"Well, she did kill a lot of people," Charlie answered logically. "Look, I'm not saying she _should_ go to Hell, I'm just asking. Inquiring minds, ya know. Plus," she went on, "when I was a kid, they said that suicides go to Purgatory."

"Ah!" Dean held up a finger. "I don't know if she's in Heaven or Hell, but I _can_ tell you she's not in Purgatory. Nothing but monsters there."

"So our crazy ghost -?" Charlie asked.

Castiel suddenly appeared in the room. "Miss Addison is not in Hell,' he said gravely


	37. Chapter 37

At the angel's unexpected appearance, all three of them jumped. Dean recovered first, giving Castiel an exasperated look.

"Suicides don't go to Hell," Cas said. "A human who commits suicide is not in their right mind. There would be no point in punishing such a person." He turned to Dean. "I saw the exorcism. If you like, I can transport you back to the bunker."

"Thanks, Cas," Dean said, surprised.

Cas looked at Sam and frowned disapprovingly. "You need to take better care of your brother, Dean."

The angel crossed to Sam and touched his face lightly. Sam's injuries disappeared.


	38. Chapter 38

Dean leaned back against the pool table, sighing contentedly.

Damn, it was good to be home!

Sam had taken Bobby for a quick tour of the bunker, Cas was sitting quietly by himself, reading, and Charlie was asleep on a little couch in the corner of the room.

Dean grinned. Charlie snored _big_ for such a little thing!

His eyes went to Cas and he sobered.

Damn it. He _had_ to fix this. He wanted his friend back.

Gotta start somewhere.

Dean picked up a second pool cue. "Hey, Cas?" He smiled, a little shyly. "You wanna play some pool?"

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My sincere thanks to all who've read and a special thanks to all who've reviewed. My apologies that I haven't been able to answer my reviews this time around. Most of my extra time is spent either packing or sending out resumes. I look forward to the move being finished and a new job started so I can get back to normal! Wish me luck!


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